71 



From the observations of Mr. Hull, in the Memoii's of the Geolo- 

 gical Survey, the " upper and lower soft red and variegated sandstones" 

 are absent about the south Staffordshire coal field. The wateretones 

 there rest directly upon the " coarse red sandstone and conglomerate;" 

 and from observations he made at the Liverpool meeting of the British 

 Association, when he exhibited the survey sheet 79, containing Wirral, 

 &c., and a section across it (but which has not been published), these 

 two sub-divisions thin out as they approach the midland counties, but 

 are plainly developed from Lancashire to the Malverus, along the 

 borders of Wales, so that the new red sandstone is more fully repre- 

 sented and much thicker in its western parts. The "waterstones," 

 and middle "coarse red sandstone and conglomerate," seem to be con- 

 tinuous, and to extend, with some slight modification, throughout its 

 whole area. 



Section from thu River Dee to Huyton. 



The horizontal section represents a line drawn from the mouth of 

 the Dee, across Wirral in an easterly direction, through Liverpool, and 

 then by the line of the Liverpool and Manchester railway to the east 

 of Huyton Quarry. It passes over all the sub-divisions of the keuper 

 and hunter formations of the new red sandstone, and it is almost at 

 right angles with the faults and general strike of the strata. It conse- 

 quently possesses considerable advantages over sections taken in other 

 duections where the keuper would be excluded. The denudation has 

 been very much less about the extremity of Wirral than anywhere else 

 in the neighbourhood. The section extends over the distance of 

 seventeen miles, being drawn upon a scale of one inch to a mile ; the 

 depth 600 feet below high water level, aud the elevation over it is upon 

 the scale of the eighth of an inch to every 100 feet. In the absence 

 of any correct measiu'ement the heights of the highest points are set 

 down as being 300 feet.* 



Rather more than a mile from the eastern shore of the Dee there is 

 a small island, or rather point of rock, this is near the western extre- 

 mity of the section ; at no remote period it must have formed a part of 

 Hilbre. Altogether there are three islands connected by rocks only 

 covered at high water. They are all composed of the " coarse red saud- 

 stoiie and conglomerate" of the hunter formation. It dips to the N.E. 

 at au angle of six degrees. On the S.W. of the two larger islands a 

 ' true conglomerate crops out at the base of the cliiTs. It is composed 

 of fragments of white sandstone, probably derived from the upper coal 

 measures at no great distance, for they are sharp aud angular. Tliern 

 arc also quartz pebbles imperfectly rounded, but of these aud ollur 



• Till' liciglits quolcil Me IVom Haines's " Hi-tlnry of Livcrpnol." 



